In Japan the same sound and meaning was given to the kanji 零 (rei), probably after the contact with Western cultures. Zero has been used for some manga and anime characters.
A notable bearer of this name was Marie Antoinette, a queen of France who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. Another was Marie Curie (1867-1934), a physicist and chemist who studied radioactivity with her husband Pierre.
In France it is occasionally used as a masculine name in pairings such as Jean-Marie.
In America, this name received a boost of popularity in 2000 when a character bearing it began appearing on the television series The West Wing.